Souffleurs d’Ecume: Ship/Cetacean Collisions

Organisations that support all or part of our work within the “Collisions” programme:

Scientific support:

LOPB/CEBC

Logistical support:

Financial support:

As part of the Pelagos Sanctuary activities for marine mammals in the Mediterranean

and the ACCOBAMS agreement

Collisions between large cetaceans and commercial vessels
Since the advent of navigation, marine animals have been obliged to share sea and ocean surfaces with humans. If ships are able to collide with each other in this space, it is also possible for them to collide with cetaceans. These collisions occur in waters all around the world, and can result in the death of the injured animal. In the Mediterranean, the scientific community is particularly worried about the status of the fin whale and the sperm whale, whose natural mortality rates could be seriously augmented by these accidents. Nowadays, with the extensive use of high speed craft, navigation companies and passengers are also suffering the consequences of such accidents. In fact, ports and coastal towns are also confronted by delicate health-related and financial issues when the carcass of a 20–80 tonne animal is brought in by a ship or the currents. Many studies address this issue, but the exact causes of these events, their impact on cetacean populations and how to avoid them, are far from being understood.

There are many factors contributing to the causes, consequences and potential solutions to this problem, which make it an inexhaustible subject. Reduction of the risk then will not happen through one single study but through many, each tackling the problem in a specific field and targeted region. Since the year 2000, in partnership with navigation companies and scientific institutions, Souffleurs d’Ecume has been involved in a programme aiming to reduce the risks of collision in the Mediterranean. This programme comprises applied research work (development of specific observation protocols), monitoring of collisions by implementation of a Collisions network), development of technical instruments for the use of navigation companies (REPCET), and training of navigation professionals.

REPCET system for limiting collisions: Dedicated website: find out what it's all about and contribute (www.repcet.com, currently in French only) Declaring an accident: Download the agreement for becoming a member of the Collisions Network (French, doc 186 KB) Download the form to inform the Pelagos Sanctuary of a collision between a vessel and a cetacean (English, pdf 184 KB) Documents: - 7 page document: The issue of collisions in the Mediterranean (English, pdf 1.53 MB) - Presentation of the REPCET system (REal time Plotting of large CETaceans) (French, pdf 1.4 MB) (English, pdf 1.48 MB). Research reports: - Mayol P. (2007) - Détectabilité des Grands Cétacés à bord des Navires à Grande Vitesse pour limiter les risques de collision. École Pratique des Hautes Études (School of Advanced Studies), Montpellier, 167 p. (French, pdf [zip] 5.3 MB). - Capoulade F. & Mayol P. (2004) - Compte-rendu de l’opération REPCET (REport des Position de grands CÉTacés) 2004 au Directeur de l’Armement et de la Sécurité Maritime Terrestre de la SNCM. 4p. (French, pdf 213 KB). Articles and scientific publications: Beaubrun P., Capoulade F. & Mayol P. (2005) - Visual detection of large cetaceans from High Speed Crafts in order to limit the risks of collision: Context, results and applications. Joint ACCOBAMS/Pelagos workshops on fin whales and collisions. Monaco, 12 - 15 November 2005 (pers. comm.) Summary in English, 34 KB - Workshop report in English, 242 KB. - Mayol P. (2005) - Enjeux des collisions entre grands cétacés et navires de commerce en Méditerranée et moyens de limiter les risques. Actes des 4ème Rencontres Régionale de la Mer. Workshop n°1 (Ports – Transports maritimes – Sécurité Maritime). 15 November 2005, Marseille, 4: 19-21 (French, pdf 643 KB) - Mayol P., Capoulade F. & Beaubrun P. (2005) – Comment améliorer la Détectabilité Visuelle des Grands Cétacés depuis les NGV pour limiter les Risques de Collision? Sciences et technologies marines du futur: Un enjeu pour la Méditerranée (Toulon Var Technologies). 19 May 2005, Marseille, (French, pdf 1.2 MB). - Mayol P., Capoulade F. & Beaubrun P. (2007) - Navires de commerce et collisions avec les grands cétacés en Méditerranée nord-occidentale: Enjeux et mesures de limitation des risques. Annales 2007 de l’Institut Méditerranéen des Transports Maritimes. 2007: 205-227. (French, pdf 1.7 MB). - Mayol P., Beaubrun P., Capoulade F. & Mugnier P. (2008) - Whale-ship collisions: Work and outlook from a team in the Pelagos Sanctuary. The example of the REPCET project. 60th International Meeting Commission (IWC/60/CC9rev - Agenda item 4). Santiago, Chile, 12 p. (English, pdf 744 KB). - Panigada S., Capoulade F., Castellote M., Russell L. & Mayol P. (2009) - Fin whales: progress report on the evaluation of ship strikes in the ACCOBAMS area and protocol to assess ship strikes (SC6-Doc 11). 6th ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee. (English, pdf 102 KB).
© Souffleurs d'Ecume 2005-2010